Father who drank poison in front of judge is first person to kill himself in a British courtroom

An abusive father who died after swallowing poison in front of a judge is believed to be the first person in Britain to kill himself in a courtroom.

Anandakumar Ratnasabapathy swallowed 60 crushed sleeping pills in Coca-Cola immediately after being found guilty of molesting his three-month-old daughter, aninquest has heard.

Witnesses at the inquest told how the judge at Isleworth crown court called for a doctor following the trial in June last year, but within minutes Ratnasabapathy, 40, was having a fit on the courtroom floor. He died an hour later.

If the inquest jury sitting at West London coroner's court decide that the 40-year-old committed suicide, it would be the first such incident ever to happen in a courtroom in Britain.

The coroner's court heard that Ratnasabapathy had repeatedly expressed his desire to kill himself if a guilty verdict was returned in last June's trial.

Bottle of poison: Anandakumar
Ratnasabapathy with his wife Rajani

His suicide warnings came after the court heard how his daughter had been left quadriplegic, epileptic and partially blind when her nose and mouth were deliberately blocked.

He was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and child cruelty on 28 June last year. His interpreter at the original trial, Milroy Rasiah, told the inquest: '

"He said if a verdict was given against him he would commit suicide. He mentioned it almost every day."

On hearing the verdict, Mr Rasiah recalled: "It was quiet. Mr Ratnasabapathy put his hand in the bag. He had something wrapped in a packet. He opened the bottle and started putting powder [from the packet] into the bottle.

"He shook the bottle then he started drinking it very quickly. He drank about half the contents."

Mr Rasiah and a dock officer then wrestled the bottle from him, it was said.

Barrister Abbie Arnold, who defended Ratnasabapathy at the trial, told the inquest: "There was a cloudy liquid foaming at his mouth. He was drinking it and the interpreter was trying to get somebody to do something about it."

The judge was alerted who told guards to call a doctor while Ratnasabapathy was taken down to the cells.

Ms Arnold said: "[Ratnasabapathy] was lying on the floor and he appeared to be fitting. It seemed it wasn't being taken seriously. [The staff ] did not know whether he was putting it on."